Death is not worse pain than an empty life. -- Lun Tha

There are four Sundays that are used to mark the observation of Advent.  This is not a Biblical precedent, it is strictly a liturgical gig.  For some, Advent is a high and holy time, complete with family ceremonies and the lighting of candles and reading of certain scriptures. For others, it is a time to dig out a certain calendar and fill it with pieces of candy – one for each day of December, leading to the 25th. 

For me, Advent is a time when I review prophecy.  This year, Miss Mellow and I are teaching during these weeks, and we've got Sandi on prophecies, Miss M. on angelic visitations, and Sandi again on the birth of the baby, plus the sequels.

Thing is, Advent doesn't officially start until December 3rd.  3, 10, 17, 24. The four Sundays prior to Christmas.  However, our church will not be having Sunday School on the 24th. Five Christmas Eve services, but no Sunday School. (The logistics in a church the size of ours are considerable.)  So, in order to include all the aforementioned teaching and have a Christmas party (gotta! lol) we started our Advent season a wee bit early.

One thing that I love about doing this every year is that every year, I see something new. Something more clearly. Something more powerfully. Whatever.  I still teach out of Isaiah, Micah, Genesis, Psalms, Jeremiah, but sometimes, I just get a cool "oooh!" from something.

This year, for me, it was this verse: 


Now, I know all the discussions on "Matthew did not correctly interpret "almah" or "maiden" or "virgin."  I have heard them and studied them. I still believe in the miraculous conception of Jesus.  It is of necessity something I take on faith, of course, since I was not personally at any physical exam to determine the true virginity of a young lady named Mary a long, long time ago.

But it isn't that which made me go, "oooh!" today.  It was realizing how cool it is that Jesus was prophesied to be called Immanu'el.  It means, as you can see above, "God with us."

As I tried to tell the kids today, this is a biggie.  Up until the birth of Christ, God was only with us in terms of his holy presence in the Holiest of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem.  In order to approach the Almighty in person, there were cleansing rituals that had to be observed.  Lots were cast.  One was chosen to go and represent the people on their behalf in the very presence of God.  What an amazing concept.  You can read more about that, if you wish, in the first chapter of Luke's gospel. 

But the Messiah foretold and promised from God would be called Immanu'el.  He would be called God with us.  Because in him and through him, God would be with man.  He would walk with his creation. Talk with them. Understand them. Become one of them. Not as some terrifying presence behind a holy curtain, unapproachable save for a chosen few, but with US. Every single person. 

To me, that is completely awesome, in the most correct sense.  That God would become for a time a human being.  With itches, zits, hunger pangs, sore feet, heartbreak.  God with us.

So, yeah, we started off a little early in our time of Advent celebration. Our preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth (the timing of which I have probably blogged about before, I'll have to check.).  But for me and for those who love him as Lord and Savior, really, we celebrate the coming of the Messiah, of Y'shua HaMashiach, all year long. 

God with us. He is with me. He wants to be with you. Every day. Every moment. Every beat of your heart. And it's not because he's nosy. It's because he loves you enough so that his own life was not too much to ask of him.

For us, it's not too much to lengthen our time of celebration in honor of his birth.  It's way cool to celebrate Christmas, no matter what time of year.